stared straight ahead at the road. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“ Who does?” Jonas didn’t answer, but Alexan persisted. “I just want to make sure that there’s not a policeman waiting for me next spring.”
“ I said, don’t worry about it,” Jonas said.
“ If you don’t tell me, you can just step down right here.” Alexan spoke quietly, but his tone was deadly serious.
Jonas laid his ears back. This wasn’t at all what he’d envisioned. Pike’s warning echoed in his ears, and for a brief moment, he thought he would step down and let Alexan go on his way. But he looked around at the poor housing, envisioned himself in one of the rickety houses, and sat back against the board. “My father got a payment from Tally when he sent me there. If I didn’t last seven years, he had to give part of it back. And I wasn’t allowed to go to any other establishments. Not that I’d want to.”
“ How long had you been there?”
“ Three years.”
“ Mmm.” The fox stroked his muzzle. “Does your father keep track of you? Is he likely to come after me for money?”
“ I haven’t talked to him since he sent me there.”
“ All right.” Alexan flicked his ears. “I don’t expect there will be a problem with you working in Ferrenis. Contracts don’t hold much weight across that border.”
“ Work? I thought I could just…”
Alexan looked at him. “Just live with me? I’m not that successful yet. I don’t know if I can feed us both.”
“ I thought you said you were doing well.”
“ I hope to be doing well.” Alexan patted Jonas. “But I like the idea of having you all to myself. If I can make it work, I will.”
Heartened by that, Jonas brought his ears up and smiled. The houses were thinning out, and the countryside ahead of them was mostly farmland. As they crested a small hill, Jonas could see the range of mountains in the distance. “We have to cross that?”
“ Aye. The pass should be okay for another few weeks. I’m cutting it a bit close. I had some negotiations to wrap up.” He glanced at the cougar. “So why didn’t you work last night?”
“ I was working.” Jonas told Alexan the whole story, adding only a little bit here and there to make the fox feel more sorry for him.
“ I didn’t know they beat you when a client complained.” Alexan looked sideways at Jonas. “You were really thinking about me?”
Jonas nodded. “I was thinking about you all week.”
Alexan’s tail twitched. “Does it still hurt?”
“ Hurt? No, I’m here now…” It took Jonas a second to realize what Alexan meant. “Oh. No, I got used to it. The bruises fade pretty quickly.”
“ That’s good. You’re a tough one.”
Jonas smiled and leaned back, breathing a little more easily. “I’m just glad to be here. Thanks for letting me come along.”
Alexan patted his leg again. “You’ll have plenty of time to thank me.” He winked, and Jonas smiled, looking up at the sky as they left the last of the city behind them.
They stayed that night in a small inn. Two other wagons, both driven by farmers, had joined them in an informal caravan. After dinner with the farmers and their wives, they retired early to their small room.
Jonas had thought that Alexan’s feral intensity in bed might have come from going a week between trysts, but apparently the cause was deeper, because the previous night’s activity hadn’t mellowed him at all. Once he’d barked and snarled out his climax, though, he panted and licked Jonas’s ear. Then, tied to Jonas, he turned with some difficulty, setting the cougar on his back while he knelt between Jonas’s legs and proceeded to apply his muzzle. Compared to Pike or Sasha, or even some of Jonas’s more experienced clients, he wasn’t very good, but Jonas was aroused enough that it didn’t take him long to finish.
Alexan looked down at him and licked his muzzle, smiling. “So now you can enjoy it too.” He slipped out of Jonas
“ Who does?” Jonas didn’t answer, but Alexan persisted. “I just want to make sure that there’s not a policeman waiting for me next spring.”
“ I said, don’t worry about it,” Jonas said.
“ If you don’t tell me, you can just step down right here.” Alexan spoke quietly, but his tone was deadly serious.
Jonas laid his ears back. This wasn’t at all what he’d envisioned. Pike’s warning echoed in his ears, and for a brief moment, he thought he would step down and let Alexan go on his way. But he looked around at the poor housing, envisioned himself in one of the rickety houses, and sat back against the board. “My father got a payment from Tally when he sent me there. If I didn’t last seven years, he had to give part of it back. And I wasn’t allowed to go to any other establishments. Not that I’d want to.”
“ How long had you been there?”
“ Three years.”
“ Mmm.” The fox stroked his muzzle. “Does your father keep track of you? Is he likely to come after me for money?”
“ I haven’t talked to him since he sent me there.”
“ All right.” Alexan flicked his ears. “I don’t expect there will be a problem with you working in Ferrenis. Contracts don’t hold much weight across that border.”
“ Work? I thought I could just…”
Alexan looked at him. “Just live with me? I’m not that successful yet. I don’t know if I can feed us both.”
“ I thought you said you were doing well.”
“ I hope to be doing well.” Alexan patted Jonas. “But I like the idea of having you all to myself. If I can make it work, I will.”
Heartened by that, Jonas brought his ears up and smiled. The houses were thinning out, and the countryside ahead of them was mostly farmland. As they crested a small hill, Jonas could see the range of mountains in the distance. “We have to cross that?”
“ Aye. The pass should be okay for another few weeks. I’m cutting it a bit close. I had some negotiations to wrap up.” He glanced at the cougar. “So why didn’t you work last night?”
“ I was working.” Jonas told Alexan the whole story, adding only a little bit here and there to make the fox feel more sorry for him.
“ I didn’t know they beat you when a client complained.” Alexan looked sideways at Jonas. “You were really thinking about me?”
Jonas nodded. “I was thinking about you all week.”
Alexan’s tail twitched. “Does it still hurt?”
“ Hurt? No, I’m here now…” It took Jonas a second to realize what Alexan meant. “Oh. No, I got used to it. The bruises fade pretty quickly.”
“ That’s good. You’re a tough one.”
Jonas smiled and leaned back, breathing a little more easily. “I’m just glad to be here. Thanks for letting me come along.”
Alexan patted his leg again. “You’ll have plenty of time to thank me.” He winked, and Jonas smiled, looking up at the sky as they left the last of the city behind them.
They stayed that night in a small inn. Two other wagons, both driven by farmers, had joined them in an informal caravan. After dinner with the farmers and their wives, they retired early to their small room.
Jonas had thought that Alexan’s feral intensity in bed might have come from going a week between trysts, but apparently the cause was deeper, because the previous night’s activity hadn’t mellowed him at all. Once he’d barked and snarled out his climax, though, he panted and licked Jonas’s ear. Then, tied to Jonas, he turned with some difficulty, setting the cougar on his back while he knelt between Jonas’s legs and proceeded to apply his muzzle. Compared to Pike or Sasha, or even some of Jonas’s more experienced clients, he wasn’t very good, but Jonas was aroused enough that it didn’t take him long to finish.
Alexan looked down at him and licked his muzzle, smiling. “So now you can enjoy it too.” He slipped out of Jonas
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